The City of San Jose is cracking down on Club Wet. Club Wet’s self imposed shutdown could become permanent. San Jose Assistant Police Chief Dan Katz pulled the plug saying “We’re dealing with somebody here who’s had a succession of violations, and we’re saying enough is enough.” Wet’s lobbyists Saggau and DeRollo have 10 days to spin the Club back into existence. The San Jose PD did not say, "we believed shutting Wet down was not preventable..."
The Merc digs deep into San Jose’s transition to a de-plasticized shopping experience to find it was San Jose Councilmember Kansen Chu’s personal experience that led the way. David Lewis with Save the Bay shrugged over cries from the American Chemistry Council to point out following bans from San Francisco and Palo Alto “the world did not end.”
San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency heard the flutter of pink slips as nearly a quarter of the Agency’s team was shown the door after the State snagged $75 million from their cookie jar. One pissed off Mayor Chuck Reed said “Redevelopment provides critical tools to rebuild our economy… exactly the kinds of investments we should be making in this recession.”
The debt collectors are the only ones making a killing these days, even your neighborhood librarian is asking for their help to get books back from scofflaws. Perhaps Larry Pegram's Library Watchers could help in the cause...
Palo Alto’s homeless Council wannabe, Victor Frost, is back in hot water and it isn’t the hot tubs at Watercourse Way. Frost, pissed off when a wheelchair bound/homeless/amputee took his spot while he was away for an interview, unleashed a stream of “racial epithets.” With a possible 6 months in jail, perhaps Palo Alto’s crowded field just opened up a little.
NIMBYism is alive and well in San Jose according to the Merc’s Scott Herhold who tells the tale of the demise of an affordable housing project at the hands of politically savvy neighbors.
The Merc’s Editorial Board offers their support to this weekend's Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival this weekend.
Showing posts with label nimby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nimby. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Morning News Round-Up -- 6.11.09: Festivus for the Rest of Us...
There is one story that pops out in today's news: There is a bronze quail missing from the new Mary Avenue Bicycle bridge in Cupertino. If you see a stolen quail in your travels, please let the police know...
Now, onto less important stuff:
The neighbors surrounding the proposed San Jose A's stadium celebrated Festivus last night. They met for an Airing of Grievances, the ritual passed on from generation to generation during this wonderful holiday. (Feats of Strength is apparently going to happen at the next meeting...) One nice insight from the Mayor, he said he hoped that the territorial rights issues would be addressed over the summer. It looks like a November 2009 ballot could become reality... as the Mayor suggested recently.
Yesterday we covered a new tactic that the DA and the Sheriff are using to go after gangs in Gilroy. At the same time, gangs were reloading and shooting... a 19 year old woman was caught in the cross-fire.
While some NIMBYs are being very NIMBY-y about High Speed Rail (see Palo Alto, Atherton, Menlo Park, etc., etc., etc.) others aren't. Mountain View is in the "aren't" column.
A (relatively) big, new development project got approved yesterday in Palo Alto by the Planning Commissioners. Amazingly enough, folks who live in the area of Palo Alto Bowl also seem supportive of the 4 story hotel and housing development.
Speaking of development... The Greenbelt Alliance put out a report that says that "in-fill" development, rather than sprawl, can address the Bay Area's population growth over the next couple of decades. The Merc Editorial Board likes the idea of in-fill...
Times are not good in local school districts, obviously. Milpitas Unified is the latest to consider cutting most, if not all, of summer school classes and the Mountain View Whisman School District is holding off on putting a bond measure on the ballot until they know the full extent of the State's budget grab...
San Jose Inside wrote up Tony West's Rotary speech on Wednesday -- he apparently rocked the Rotary house. (For historical purposes, we will point you toward Watch Dog's Tony West historical perspective here.)
Ok, so we know that the Navy is in charge of taking the toxic siding off of Hangar One at Moffett. What is less clear, or unclear, is who will pay to replace the siding.
Now, onto less important stuff:
The neighbors surrounding the proposed San Jose A's stadium celebrated Festivus last night. They met for an Airing of Grievances, the ritual passed on from generation to generation during this wonderful holiday. (Feats of Strength is apparently going to happen at the next meeting...) One nice insight from the Mayor, he said he hoped that the territorial rights issues would be addressed over the summer. It looks like a November 2009 ballot could become reality... as the Mayor suggested recently.Yesterday we covered a new tactic that the DA and the Sheriff are using to go after gangs in Gilroy. At the same time, gangs were reloading and shooting... a 19 year old woman was caught in the cross-fire.
While some NIMBYs are being very NIMBY-y about High Speed Rail (see Palo Alto, Atherton, Menlo Park, etc., etc., etc.) others aren't. Mountain View is in the "aren't" column.
A (relatively) big, new development project got approved yesterday in Palo Alto by the Planning Commissioners. Amazingly enough, folks who live in the area of Palo Alto Bowl also seem supportive of the 4 story hotel and housing development.
Speaking of development... The Greenbelt Alliance put out a report that says that "in-fill" development, rather than sprawl, can address the Bay Area's population growth over the next couple of decades. The Merc Editorial Board likes the idea of in-fill...
Times are not good in local school districts, obviously. Milpitas Unified is the latest to consider cutting most, if not all, of summer school classes and the Mountain View Whisman School District is holding off on putting a bond measure on the ballot until they know the full extent of the State's budget grab...
San Jose Inside wrote up Tony West's Rotary speech on Wednesday -- he apparently rocked the Rotary house. (For historical purposes, we will point you toward Watch Dog's Tony West historical perspective here.)
Ok, so we know that the Navy is in charge of taking the toxic siding off of Hangar One at Moffett. What is less clear, or unclear, is who will pay to replace the siding.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Morning News Round-Up – 3.5.09: Santa Clara County Raiders?
Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr. continues his “quixotic quest" to toss the County’s plans for housing at the fairgrounds in order to bring pro football to San Jose. The Supervisor, referred to by the Merc. as “burly” (and by Watch Dog as Grand Poobah), met with Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask and Finance Director Mark Badain. Rumors that Shirakawa has abandoned his Supervisorial post to negotiate a coaching job for Eddie Garcia are unfounded.The failed recall effort against San Jose Councilmember Madison Nguyen is over...save the spin. The Merc. digs in with local wonk/SJSU political science Professor Larry Gerston and spinmeister/failed campaign manager Andre Charles. The Editorial Board offers up an opinion that it is time to move on and hopes Nguyen does indeed reach out to her opponents. San Jose Revealed also assesses the results and declares there was never any doubt about the outcome.
So much for the Smoke Police. Over 175 Santa Clara County residents complained about winter fires on Spare the Air days. Fewer than 35 firebugs received warnings. No one was slapped with a fine. Bay Area Air Quality Management District rep Kristine Roeselius said fines weren’t the focus, the goal is air quality improvement. The number of people wanting Spare the Air days email alerts doubled between September and November to 100,000.
Los Altos School District Trustees have proposed cutting their budget $2.3 million in response to the draconian budget from the State Legislature. They’ll be waving goodbye to 18 teachers and 28 support staffers.
Los Altans will be happy to know a second suspect has been arrested for the brazen November robbery of Harold’s Jewelry. The two suspects were both already in jail at the Elmwood Correctional Complex. Police warn there are other suspects still at large and hopes for a dramatic Hollywood style car chase remain.
Mountain View NIMBY’s have coughed up $346 to appeal placement of the Day Worker Center nearby. Opponents to the center include Brad Kellar who wrote "Please protect our neighborhood property values!" Appellant Vince Racifi worries the center will distract police from the growing gang problem.
There is (apparently) a big-time power outage in Palo Alto this morning. Crews are "scrambling" to get folks back online...this is the type of problem that the Utilities Department should be handling, rather than this type of problem with Federal law enforcement agents...(thank you Watch Dog San Mateo...)
Looks like the American Chemistry Association/plastic bag lover Manny Diaz has successfully convinced the Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission to ignore plastic bags. The Commission had proposed charging consumers for “single-use” bags. According to Commission member/Mountain View Councilmember Ronit Bryant they’re hoping education will drag consumers away from plastics. Really?
California Lottery officials took over as undercover cops to ferret out local retailers separating lottery winners from their tickets. Owners (or employees) from Jerry’s Market on Main in Milpitas along with Mercado y Carneceria Moreno, 4th Street Bowl, and Guru’s on N. 13th have lost their lottery contracts and could head to prison. Alex Traverso with the California Lottery wants to send a message to would be scammers “…we’re coming after you...”
Sal Pizzaro, the Merc’s man about town, fills us in on San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s dinner plans in Washington, D.C. where he met with SJSU President Jon Whitmore and former San Jose Mayor/Congressman/U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta. Pizzaro muses over the selection of a bi-coastal chain restaurant for the dining luminaries.
The Merc’s Mr. Roadshow, Gary Richards, has received loads of queries asking whether BART does know the way to San Jose. Math and farm animals collide in questions about counting unhatched chickens and the weak tax projections.
The suicide death of SJSU/Sigma Chi’s Gregory Marcel Johnson, Jr. has grief stricken parents calling for a deeper investigation. The Metro’s Jessica Fromm covers all sides of the story. Mission City Lantern sends props to Metro for their coverage.
Metro/San Jose Inside’s Fly digs a little deeper into Saratoga/San Jose/Santa Maria Senator Abel Maldonado’s (conceited) demands in exchange for his support to pass the budget. Apparently the “outrageous” proposal to spend $1 million on office furniture by Controller John Chiang was just a tad less outrageous than Maldo wants us to believe. Maldonado dramatically tosses darts at former Assemblymember Fred Keely and waves his arms.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Morning News Round-Up -- 3.3.09: "...a never-ending battle to limit their presence..."
“Judgment Day Comes for San Jose Councilwoman” so proclaims the Merc. as the brouhaha comes to a close for San Jose’s Madison Nguyen. Campaign workers on both sides are no doubt chugging the caffeine in preparation for a long day. Watch Dog will do live updates as soon as the polls close, check in here for the latest news. San Jose Revealed is also ready for the Little Saigon madness to end and shares a series of cranky email messages received since Friday’s post...
District Attorney Dolores Carr has jumped on the story about Mexican American Community Services Agency's (MACSA) serious financial irregularities related to a Charter school it runs. Carr said her office would investigate and that, "...the allegations appear very serious..." Yesterday, a story broke about MACSA's possibly illegal embezzlement (borrowing?) of funds from their teachers at a MACSA Charter School in Gilroy. Enrique Palacios, the Gilroy Unified School District Deputy Superintendent of Business Services, sounds pissed and called the financial irregularities "...a moral issue..." MACSA’s CEO, Olivia Soza-Mendiola, shot an angry Letter to the Editor of the Gilroy Dispatch saying it was the State's fault MACSA “borrowed” the funds. Ben Anderson shot right back in a Dispatch Editorial calling Soza-Mendiola’s ambivalence troubling and a poor example to the young people MACSA serves. Watch Dog will have more on this later...you will not want to miss the San Jose connections to this story...
If you need a day-worker, Mountain View is your town...at least that is the fear of those who oppose approval of the day-worker permit issued recently. “The Day Worker Center has to wait until the council takes action before they do any work on the site..." said City Zoning Administrator Peter Gilli.
The Merc’s Scott Herhold dedicates his column to his NIMBY Hanchett Park neighbors angst over the possible move to San Jose by Lew Wolff’s A’s and the high speed rail approved by voters in November.
Speaking of high-speed rail NIMBYs...
NIMBY negativism looms large in Palo Alto about high-speed rail. Rod Diridon, Sr. told Palo Alto’s City Council yesterday that it would have been helpful had they spoken up before the measure passed in November. You think? Normally cheerful Palo Altans marched on City Hall chanting and waving protest signs. It is untrue that the protest signs read: NIMBY's FOR SLOW TRAINS.... Councilmember Larry Klein, hopeful the state will undo what the voters did, said, "Laws do get changed. That's what our legislature is for, that's what the initiative process is for, and that's what the courts are for, in some cases." Really Larry, you are going to rely on the California State Legislature to help you out? Good luck...
On San Jose Inside's Fly cruises local habitat’s – after discovering City Hall’s resident falcons were unavailable on the Falcon Cam, Fly headed to Guadalupe River Park & Gardens for an Audubon Society lecture. While at the lecture, Fly notes the Police Department and Water District sweeps have cleaned out the Park's homeless encampments. “It’s a never-ending battle to limit their presence...” Park staffer Linda McCabe says. Ironically, San Jose Revealed says the same thing about San Jose Inside...
San Jose is getting into the energy business and hopes to install the largest solar power array on City lands and is looking for proposals. You have until March 23 to get your request in.
Watch Dog’s favorite cobbler, Paul Cruz, is retiring after 49 years of keeping San Joseans footwear in good working order. Chances are this workaholic will still be helping friends out with their leather needs. (Insert your leather needs/ball gag joke here: _____________)
District Attorney Dolores Carr has jumped on the story about Mexican American Community Services Agency's (MACSA) serious financial irregularities related to a Charter school it runs. Carr said her office would investigate and that, "...the allegations appear very serious..." Yesterday, a story broke about MACSA's possibly illegal embezzlement (borrowing?) of funds from their teachers at a MACSA Charter School in Gilroy. Enrique Palacios, the Gilroy Unified School District Deputy Superintendent of Business Services, sounds pissed and called the financial irregularities "...a moral issue..." MACSA’s CEO, Olivia Soza-Mendiola, shot an angry Letter to the Editor of the Gilroy Dispatch saying it was the State's fault MACSA “borrowed” the funds. Ben Anderson shot right back in a Dispatch Editorial calling Soza-Mendiola’s ambivalence troubling and a poor example to the young people MACSA serves. Watch Dog will have more on this later...you will not want to miss the San Jose connections to this story...
If you need a day-worker, Mountain View is your town...at least that is the fear of those who oppose approval of the day-worker permit issued recently. “The Day Worker Center has to wait until the council takes action before they do any work on the site..." said City Zoning Administrator Peter Gilli.
The Merc’s Scott Herhold dedicates his column to his NIMBY Hanchett Park neighbors angst over the possible move to San Jose by Lew Wolff’s A’s and the high speed rail approved by voters in November.
Speaking of high-speed rail NIMBYs...
NIMBY negativism looms large in Palo Alto about high-speed rail. Rod Diridon, Sr. told Palo Alto’s City Council yesterday that it would have been helpful had they spoken up before the measure passed in November. You think? Normally cheerful Palo Altans marched on City Hall chanting and waving protest signs. It is untrue that the protest signs read: NIMBY's FOR SLOW TRAINS.... Councilmember Larry Klein, hopeful the state will undo what the voters did, said, "Laws do get changed. That's what our legislature is for, that's what the initiative process is for, and that's what the courts are for, in some cases." Really Larry, you are going to rely on the California State Legislature to help you out? Good luck...
On San Jose Inside's Fly cruises local habitat’s – after discovering City Hall’s resident falcons were unavailable on the Falcon Cam, Fly headed to Guadalupe River Park & Gardens for an Audubon Society lecture. While at the lecture, Fly notes the Police Department and Water District sweeps have cleaned out the Park's homeless encampments. “It’s a never-ending battle to limit their presence...” Park staffer Linda McCabe says. Ironically, San Jose Revealed says the same thing about San Jose Inside...
San Jose is getting into the energy business and hopes to install the largest solar power array on City lands and is looking for proposals. You have until March 23 to get your request in.
Watch Dog’s favorite cobbler, Paul Cruz, is retiring after 49 years of keeping San Joseans footwear in good working order. Chances are this workaholic will still be helping friends out with their leather needs. (Insert your leather needs/ball gag joke here: _____________)
Friday, December 26, 2008
(More) Morning News Update -- 12.26.08: For those that did not get enough...
Los Altos police showed up at Kevin Marcyes San Jose home with a search warrant thinking they’d find food stolen from Trader Joe’s. Imagine their surprise in finding 10 sticks of 20 year old dynamite. Detective John Korges said about the aging dynamite, “When it’s older the stability of the material becomes extremely at risk. Our suspect could have blown himself up.” Yikes...
When Los Altos Hills residents Pat and Bob Kirkpatrick moved into their hillside home 35 years ago, they didn’t anticipate their view being disrupted by a mansion just down the hillside. Planning Commissioner Ray Collins was the lone opposition vote when plans were presented for the 11,000 sq ft home. Collins said that the home being built by the Shashi Corporation of Cupertino conforms to the City’s building codes and an attempt to move the building would have pushed it closer to another neighbor and prevented either the pool, stable, or tennis court from being built. Let the NIMBY fights continue...
More than 200 Los Altos residents protested sewer fees that now are as high as $1,500 for the year. Engineering Services Manager Jim Gustafson says the high fees are helping to identify water leaks that can be repaired, but for an unlucky few the problem is bigger. Some homes in Los Altos are still using septic systems, oops.
Sunnyvale resident Tom Gage has watched the slow transition to electric vehicles from his job as the CEO of AC Propulsion – a company that makes batteries and powertrains for electric vehicles. BMW has just signed on to convert 450 Mini Coopers to electric – the Mini E. Watch Dog is hopeful about the electric car but since the Mini E is to be leased, not sold, and only in New York or Los Angeles, the Dog wonders if the Mini E will suffer the same fate as the Toyota RAV4EV.
The ubiquitous day laborer is hard hit by the economic crisis. Francisco Castillo showed up at the St. Joseph the Worker Center and is waiting with a hundred other workers to get to the top of the list for the few jobs that are available. Maria Marroquin, President of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Director of the Mountain View Day Worker Center said the crisis is national in scope, she’s worried and “I believe in praying.”
The Merc’s Patty Fisher reflects on the aftermath of the Christmas overload in this year of economic disaster.
Hope, a red-tailed hawk shot while flying. The bird is making a comeback at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill. Sue Howell, executive director of the center, reminds Watch Dog that the bird of prey keeps the rodent population down – oh, and that it’s against federal law to shoot them.
Cupertino awarded $190,000 to Pacific Water Art to get the Civic Center Plaza fountains back into working order. The fountains were shut down due to concerns about parasites commonly found in public fountains and needs to be killed with ultraviolet light. (Watch Dog hopes the embarassing spelling error in the story gets fixed before anyone gets red-faced...)
More than 6 large fire engines descended upon a Los Gatos hillside home near the La Rinconada Country Club when the attic caught fire. A firefighter was injured in the Christmas night fire that was quickly brought under control. Los Gatos Observer Editor Alastair Dallas has a series of terrific photos to accompany the story.
When Los Altos Hills residents Pat and Bob Kirkpatrick moved into their hillside home 35 years ago, they didn’t anticipate their view being disrupted by a mansion just down the hillside. Planning Commissioner Ray Collins was the lone opposition vote when plans were presented for the 11,000 sq ft home. Collins said that the home being built by the Shashi Corporation of Cupertino conforms to the City’s building codes and an attempt to move the building would have pushed it closer to another neighbor and prevented either the pool, stable, or tennis court from being built. Let the NIMBY fights continue...
More than 200 Los Altos residents protested sewer fees that now are as high as $1,500 for the year. Engineering Services Manager Jim Gustafson says the high fees are helping to identify water leaks that can be repaired, but for an unlucky few the problem is bigger. Some homes in Los Altos are still using septic systems, oops.
Sunnyvale resident Tom Gage has watched the slow transition to electric vehicles from his job as the CEO of AC Propulsion – a company that makes batteries and powertrains for electric vehicles. BMW has just signed on to convert 450 Mini Coopers to electric – the Mini E. Watch Dog is hopeful about the electric car but since the Mini E is to be leased, not sold, and only in New York or Los Angeles, the Dog wonders if the Mini E will suffer the same fate as the Toyota RAV4EV.
The ubiquitous day laborer is hard hit by the economic crisis. Francisco Castillo showed up at the St. Joseph the Worker Center and is waiting with a hundred other workers to get to the top of the list for the few jobs that are available. Maria Marroquin, President of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Director of the Mountain View Day Worker Center said the crisis is national in scope, she’s worried and “I believe in praying.”
The Merc’s Patty Fisher reflects on the aftermath of the Christmas overload in this year of economic disaster.
Hope, a red-tailed hawk shot while flying. The bird is making a comeback at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill. Sue Howell, executive director of the center, reminds Watch Dog that the bird of prey keeps the rodent population down – oh, and that it’s against federal law to shoot them.
Cupertino awarded $190,000 to Pacific Water Art to get the Civic Center Plaza fountains back into working order. The fountains were shut down due to concerns about parasites commonly found in public fountains and needs to be killed with ultraviolet light. (Watch Dog hopes the embarassing spelling error in the story gets fixed before anyone gets red-faced...)
More than 6 large fire engines descended upon a Los Gatos hillside home near the La Rinconada Country Club when the attic caught fire. A firefighter was injured in the Christmas night fire that was quickly brought under control. Los Gatos Observer Editor Alastair Dallas has a series of terrific photos to accompany the story.
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